In New York City, the legendary Radio City Rockettes are celebrating their 100th year.One Winston-Salem native is bringing in the historic occasion for her second year as a dancer on the team.”To be able to say I’m a part of that legacy is just so humbling,” Gracie Epperson said. Epperson said she has been struck by the magic of the Rockettes ever since she first saw them at 7 years old.We first spoke with her when she landed her dream job, back in 2024.”I can still like, see it now and picture it now, my first time seeing the show,” she said.Epperson was born and raised in Winston-Salem. She took dance classes at In Motion Dance Center in Winston-Salem, and she attended Calvary Day School. She described the experience, noting, “From the second you walk into Radio City Music Hall till that final kick line, you truly are transformed into, like this Christmas Wonderland.” Epperson fell in love with the Rockettes’ precise kicks and iconic costumes at the age of seven. Now a part of the team, Epperson is thrilled to create Christmas magic alongside her fellow dancers. “We like to say we’re athletes dripping in diamonds. So the show is tough, but I think with the group of women that you’re with, it’s you’re holding each other up,” she said. Epperson said that they are a sisterhood. She explained that it is the trust and camaraderie that are crucial in performances like the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, a piece that has been performed by generations of Rockettes since 1933.She reflected on her journey and the legacy of the overall organization, saying, “I didn’t fully understand that concept at seven, but seeing the show over the years and like training and working towards this dream, it really showed me that you’re a part of something much bigger.”

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —

In New York City, the legendary Radio City Rockettes are celebrating their 100th year.

One Winston-Salem native is bringing in the historic occasion for her second year as a dancer on the team.

“To be able to say I’m a part of that legacy is just so humbling,” Gracie Epperson said.

Epperson said she has been struck by the magic of the Rockettes ever since she first saw them at 7 years old.

We first spoke with her when she landed her dream job, back in 2024.

“I can still like, see it now and picture it now, my first time seeing the show,” she said.

Epperson was born and raised in Winston-Salem. She took dance classes at In Motion Dance Center in Winston-Salem, and she attended Calvary Day School.

She described the experience, noting, “From the second you walk into Radio City Music Hall till that final kick line, you truly are transformed into, like this Christmas Wonderland.”

Epperson fell in love with the Rockettes’ precise kicks and iconic costumes at the age of seven.

Now a part of the team, Epperson is thrilled to create Christmas magic alongside her fellow dancers.

“We like to say we’re athletes dripping in diamonds. So the show is tough, but I think with the group of women that you’re with, it’s you’re holding each other up,” she said.

Epperson said that they are a sisterhood. She explained that it is the trust and camaraderie that are crucial in performances like the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, a piece that has been performed by generations of Rockettes since 1933.

She reflected on her journey and the legacy of the overall organization, saying, “I didn’t fully understand that concept at seven, but seeing the show over the years and like training and working towards this dream, it really showed me that you’re a part of something much bigger.”